Fresh from the oven and considering one of its major ingredients – bananas – banana bread doesn’t look like it can last beyond a day or two. It makes you want to eat all of it at once but sometimes it’s impossible. So, if you are looking for ways to store banana bread for later, it’s right here.
Banana bread is a delicious bread made with a dough that contains overripe bananas, eggs, butter, brown sugar, baking soda, and of course, flour. The bread comes out very moist and quickly develops mold within a few days at room temperature.
To prevent waste and save your load for another treat, you can use any of the methods in this article to store banana bread.
How to store banana bread at room temperature
If you made the bread at home, leave it to cool completely before you pack and seal it. Line the bottom of an airtight container with a paper towel, place the loaf on it, and cover it with another paper towel.
The essence of the paper towel is to absorb excess moisture that may come out of the bread.
Tightly seal the container and keep it somewhere cool and dry on the kitchen counter. Remember that you should not store banana bread longer than 4 days at room temperature.
How to store banana bread in the refrigerator
Storing bread of any type in the refrigerator is not a good idea. However, it works for short-term storage (3-4 days) before consumption. But your bread will come out drier when you take it out of the refrigerator.
To store your loaf of banana bread in the refrigerator, allow it to cool before you wrap it in a plastic wrap. Afterward, place the wrapped loaf in an airtight container and seal it. Keep the container in the refrigerator.
Try not to open and close the door of the refrigerator too frequently. This can result in temperature fluctuations, and it can affect the quality of the bread.
How to store banana bread in the freezer
There are different ways to store banana bread in the freezer. You can cut the loaf into smaller loaves or slices. Frozen slices are easier to use because you will be thawing only as many slices as you want at a time.
Cool the loaf of bread and cut it into smaller loaves or slices. Wrap each small loaf with a plastic wrap. You may wrap the slices in batches of 3 or 4.
Then, put the wrapped bread in aluminum foil or a freezer bag. Remove excess air from the plastic bag before you seal it.
You can store banana bread in the freezer for four to six months until you are ready to use it. However, texture and flavor may have been compromised by 6 months. Therefore, it is best not to freeze banana bread longer than 3 or 4 months.
How long does banana bread last?
Banana bread is a quick bread and won’t last very long. It is best for 4 days at room temperature, 7 days in the refrigerator, and 4 months in the freezer. However, this duration depends on the storage conditions.
How do you know banana bread has gone bad?
What does it look like?
Banana bread should be golden brown. Dark spots or dry patches are signs that the bread has gone off and you should through it away.
Mind you, sticky spots on the surface may look like signs of spoilage but they are not. That’s just sugar that has absorbed moisture.;
In addition, too much moisture or excessive dryness could be signs of spoilage in banana bread. If the bread is dry, crumbly, and has dry spots, it has gone bad, and you should not eat it.
Any mold growth?
Mold on your loaf or slices is another telltale sign that the bread has gone bad. Mold grows on bread when it has been exposed to moisture. Carefully examine your bread for mold growth, which may be a fuzzy growth or moldy patches.
Whichever it is, discard the bread. Do not try to salvage anything. Mold on bread can be dangerous and can have severe effects.
What does it smell like?
Banana bread has an appealing banana-flour-like aroma. Once this is replaced with a pungent, sour, or fermented odor, it is a sign that the bread has gone bad, and you should trash it.
What does it taste like?
Tasting food to detect spoilage is not advisable and could be risky. This should be the last thing to do if other signs are not so clear.
Take a little bite and see if it doesn’t taste anything like fresh banana bread. If it tastes sour, bitter, and unpleasant, trash it.
What to do with leftover banana bread
Breakfast banana bread French toast
Coat pieces of the bread in a mixture of beaten eggs and milk. Cook it in a frying pan or a griddle until it is golden brown and crusty. Serve with powdered sugar or syrup.
Make banana bread fondue boat
This is perfect for whole banana bread loaves. Cut out a rectangular hole in the center of the loaf. Fill the hole with cheesecake or chocolate fondue and add some fruits by the side.
Energy balls
Roll up some protein-rich energy balls with leftover banana bread. Crumble the dry bread, add Greek yogurt or milk, and protein powder.
Roll them into bite-size balls for a mid-day snack. You can make your protein balls crunchy with pieces of dry fruits or nuts.
Make a grilled cheese sandwich
You can also make a grilled cheese sandwich with leftover banana bread just like you would with white bread or whole wheat bread. If you feel the bread is too dry, throw in some apple slices.
Banana bread waffles
Make a batter with crumbled banana bread, milk, eggs, sugar and vanilla. Use the batter to make waffles with your waffle maker. Top with sugar and maple syrup for breakfast.
Try banana bread tiramisu
Looking for something more serious for dessert? Try banana bread tiramisu. Yes, it mustn’t always be ladyfingers. This works better with bread slices than loaves. Place the bread in the dish and soak it with coffee.
Layer on the mascarpone, sugar, and vanilla extract mix. Cover it with another slice of bread and top it with whipped cream and cocoa powder. Afterward, leave it to chill in the fridge for an hour or two.
Add it to pancakes
Add leftover banana bread to pancake batter for hearty banana pancakes. Crumble the bread and soften it with milk. Mash and add it to the pancake batter.
Cook the pancakes on a griddle and serve with maple syrup, honey, or fresh fruits like bananas or berries.
Whip the bread into ice cream
Yes, you can make ice cream with leftover banana bread. Blend pieces of bread with milk in a food processor until you have a thick mixture. Add it to a vanilla cream mixture and whip it into ice cream using an ice cream maker.
Make bread pudding
Make a mixture of banana bread, sugar, milk, eggs, and vanilla extract. You can make it crunchy with nuts as topping. Bake in a 350°F preheated oven for 30 minutes. Leave to cool and serve for dessert.
Banana bread biscotti
This is one of the easiest ways to use up leftover banana bread. Cut the bread into thin slices and bake until it is golden brown and crispy. Drizzle with chocolate and serve. This is a highly recommended snack for kids and adults.
Make a smoothie
If you don’t mind bread in your smoothie, you should give this a try. Throw pieces of bread, milk, ripe banana, and yogurt or ice cream into a food processor and blend until you have a smooth creamy mixture. Serve cold.
Banana bread brownies
Banana bread brownies are a delight, and they are easy to make. Crumble the bread into pieces and press it into the baking pan. Pour in the brownie mix and bake. It’s that simple. Top with brown butter frosting and serve.
Common mistakes to avoid when baking banana bread
Using the wrong amount of flour
Too much flour, will make the bread dry out quickly and become hard. Not enough flour leaves the bread soggy and prone to mold growth. If you are baking banana bread at home for the first time, follow a recipe that uses precise measurements.
Too much banana
You may want to use more bananas for a stronger flavor, but that could be sabotaging your effort. Too much banana means an overly moist and heavy dough. This shortens the shelf life of the bread and makes it prone to spoilage.
Your bread is half-baked
Half-baked bread still has some moisture and is more prone to spoilage than bread that is well-baked. It gets even worse if you wrap it up immediately without leaving it to cool.
Not allowing it to cool
Wrapping up bread straight from the oven will trap causes condensation, which leads to mold growth on the bread. Also, the longer the bread sits in the pan, the more moisture it absorbs and the soggier it becomes.
After taking bread out of the oven, quickly remove it from the pan and leave it to cool on a cooling rack before you cut it open or wrap it.
FAQs
Why is your banana bread sticky on top?
Do not worry. The sticky surface of your banana bread is not a sign of spoilage. It is a result of exposure of sugar to moisture.
Sugar is a hygroscopic substance. In baked goods like bread, it helps to maintain moisture and a soft crumb. However, you should check the loaf for signs of spoilage.
How can you thaw frozen banana bread?
If you have a frozen loaf of bread, allow it to thaw at room temperature for 3-4 hours. If you want a quicker process, microwave the bread on high power for 20 seconds.
Can you store banana bread with other baked goods?
Yes, you can. When storing banana bread alongside other baked goods, keep them all in individual airtight containers to keep the flavors from mixing up.
Conclusion
Banana bread is a quick bread and will mold in a few days. However, if you adopt the methods listed above, you can store your loaf longer. Remember not to leave banana bread unwrapped for longer than three or four days at room temperature.
If you won’t finish the bread within four days and will need it almost every day, refrigerate it. To keep it up for months, store banana bread in the freezer. Most importantly, always examine the loaf for signs of spoilage before you eat it.
In addition, eating healthy is highly recommended. Before you make banana bread an everyday meal, learn about its calorie content and the health benefits it offers.
Thanks for reading.
